1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing strip material or the like and more particularly to such an apparatus which is unusually well suited to the dispensing of strip material such as adhesive tape from a roll of such material in selectively determinable lengths and without having physically to contact the strips during the dispensing operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a variety of materials which must be dispensed from continuous sources of the material on a frequent basis where the length of the material to be dispensed may vary substantially from one instance to the next. For example, such materials as ribbon, string, wire, postage stamps and a wide assortment of other materials are commonly dispensed from rolls of such material. Prior art devices designed for such dispensing operations have suffered from several chronic problems which have prevented their being accepted for common usage. A lack of dependability as the result of jamming of the operative mechanisms have been a primary impediment.
These problems are compounded in devices particularly adapted to the dispensing of adhesive material such as adhesive tape. Whether the particular form of tape is cloth type electrician's tape, opaque plastic electrician's tape, masking tape, reinforced wrapping tape, paper tape, clear plastic tape, surgical tape, or any of a host of other types of adhesive tapes commonly used, jamming of the operative mechanism of prior art dispensing devices has been almost certain due to contact of adhesive surfaces with the operative mechanism of the dispensing devices. In such prior art devices, the adhesive material borne by the tape is simply transferred over time to the surfaces within which it comes in contact and that transferred adhesive interferes with working parts of the device. Further, the transferred adhesive may adhere to otherwise nonadhesive portions of the tape so that the tape itself becomes fouled.
Still another chronic difficulty encountered in prior art dispensing devices, whether for dispensing adhesive tape or other type materials, is the propensity for slack to form in the lead portion of the material within the device which may become entangled in the operative mechanism thereby jamming the device.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have an apparatus for dispensing strip material from a source of said material which operates dependably, rapidly, and in such a way as to permit the operator selectively to determine the length of the strip of material to be dispensed and which, while possessing these capabilities, operates in such a manner as virtually to preclude jamming of its operative components.